Cusco

I am having a difficult time trying to write a post about Cusco. I have been here for over a week now. I really love this city and I totally understand why so many travelers "get stuck" here. 

There is a sort of vibe in the air that something is happening. A life giving force -but that's a little difficult to describe. Furthermore considering that while I've been here I have done less than normal, it's hard to say that Cusco makes you feel connected or productive.

So what have I been up to?

Well the most productive thing I have done is take Spanish classes. It's only two hours a day, private lesson style with homework. My teachers name is Amaulta and she is hilarious and we have a great time. For the most part though, I am simply reviewing things I have forgotten. But it's nice to build confidence and be sure of the words coming out of my mouth. I suspect that I would need at least two more weeks here to really be getting ahead, and because I haven't heard of any job opportunities I decided that I should get back on the road (to feel more productive). 

There are three big squares near my hostel, they have big important looking buildings. I dont know what this one is.

Cusco is in a valley surrounded by hills.

Secondly I have been hanging out with people. I met a few Australians here who were really lovely people.  I tagged along on a few of their day adventures when I hadn't planned anything.

On one of the days we went on a walking tour that took us to some great views of the city:

Plaza de Armas (The main square)

Cristo blanco on the hill overlooking Cusco

In the last 50-60 years Cusco has grown dramatically

As well as some ruins (Saksaywaman) on the outskirts of town that are famous for their massive stone blocks. 

And to a wool craft store where we learned about llama/alpaca items, quality and natural dyes. 

We also got to see a collection of handmade instruments used locally, of course with a demonstration of their beautiful sound. 

Armadillo shell guitar

A day or two later we went to the precolombian art museum which had displays of all of the major historical cultural groups of Peru -including many I'd seen before like the Chavin, Moche and the Chimu ("Cities of the North"). But it also included items from the Nasca and Wari and some of which I'd never heard before. 

On several days in the last week I have been to the local San Pedro Market, so named because it is the market across the street from San Pedro church. The market is sort of a mix of a traditional market and a tourist market. It has a section for cooked food, a section for juices and smoothies, a fruit and veg section, a nuts and dried foods section, a meat and fish section,  a traditional medicine and ritual goods section and then a lot of tourist/colorful clothes. 

Highlights of the market?  

Well some of the other people I have been hanging out with got full meals in the cooked food section for between $1.50-2.50.  One of then also got 4 glasses of fresh blended fruit punch (pure fruit) for about $2. 

But my favorite so far has to be the dried llama fetuses used for ritual sacrifices...

Because the market is fairly standard I didn't take many pictures. I've also noticed that because I have more time in Cusco I've been less diligent with the camera. 

Mostly with different friend groups I've been going out to eat, walking around, exploring little art galleries and craft markets. 

Taking pictures of the statues and murals that try to show the heritage of the people and what life looked like in this exact location around 600 years ago. 

The presence of the Incan empire  (called Tawantinsuyo if you want to be more accurate) is everywhere in this their former capital. Whether it is the ruins throughout the city and the surrounding area, or the remnants of the walls on which the Spaniards built their churches and colonial houses. Or the dress, and language of the people... Or the rituals that are still performed. 

Tawantinsuyo walls are built at a slight angle, and tend to have perfectly cut stone

Though this seems like a tourist show, it was at a market entirely full of locals

Yesterday I went to the Inca Museum which describes the history and culture of the empire (NO PICS ALLOWED). It also described the fall, and subsequent merging of the Spanish and Tawantisuyo cultures.  The Inca families (the rulers) married into the Spanish lines, and started wearing Spanish clothes. Incanismo developed, this simultaneous oppression of the people while glorifying their cultural past. Cusco is the epitome of incanismo, a place that is so modern and western friendly, while simultaneously  so native... 

Some tourists I have met have said they find it too cheesy, too openly touristic, but I think they have missed that this is the merging of these two cultures.  Andean peoples are both Christian and traditional. They speak Spanish and Quechua. They drink chicha and coca cola. They have smart phones and wear traditional clothes. Their rituals include coca leaf, and store bought cookies. 

They are not a dead culture, but a living changing one.  It's not as simple as celebrating something old like Machu Picchu, because these sites are still used for rituals (with plastic baby dolls, and synthetic costumes). 

Women and children in "traditional dress" pose for pictures with tourists and llamas

I have been really enjoying the company these last few days, getting to know people, writing and drawing more, working on my Spanish and laughing a lot.  I am really grateful for the people I've met, but I am now looking forward to seeing some more of this world.

-This weekend I am headed to Manu.

-Next week I will check out the Cuscan Churches and museums.

-After that I will check out the Sacred  Valley and Machu Picchu.

Then I will head south to Puno and the Lake Titicaca region. 

P.S.

Work
I am starting to worry I won't find a job that feels right here. I keep getting told there is tons of work, but I've found almost all of it is in places id rather not spend a year (massive cities). I am not giving up hope or anything, but I am also starting to wonder if I will have to follow through on my backup plan to head elsewhere after South America.  
To be fair I haven´t tried very hard. A few emails and some online research. 

Altitude
Its funny to be at this altitude, you walk up steps and get winded. You get up too quickly and feel a little dizzy. Most people I have met have had low level sickness (sore throats, headaches). I've met a few people who had severe reactions (vomiting, migraines, reemergence of illnesses). Its not something to take lightly and yet most people do. Cusco more than any other place I have been is full of short trip tourists - people who are on a tight schedule, so regardless of how they feel they head out on the trek. 
One of the symptoms that is a little more amusing is sleep disturbances. I haven`t heard a good explanation why this happens, but a lot of people have really vivid dreams and talk more often in their sleep. I am in living in hostel dorm rooms (10-14 people) so each night there is usually about two people talking in their sleep. Its funny. I don´t know if I am doing it, but I am waking up crabby and unrested so maybe I am having some nightstruggles. 

Mike 
I have been really happy lately meeting cool folks, like happier than I´d been in a few weeks. I have also been really struggling with the lack of purpose. The school year started up this week in the US. There is a part of me that feels like I am missing out.  The traveling lifestyle means you are constantly starting and ending things, new adventures and relationships come and go in days, sometimes hours. Its hard to feel like you arent committed to something larger, to feel like the thing you are devoting yourself to is so transitory.